Ben Johnson PhD, is an academic publishing professional and community campaigner. A scientist by training, he carried out infectious disease research at Public Health England, the University of Reading, and Imperial College London, before a career change took him to scientific publisher, BioMed Central, where he launched new open access journals.
Ben is currently Head of Communities and Engagement at Springer Nature, where he leads on engaging with researchers and the public through online communities and blogs. He is a warden and trustee of United St Saviour’s Charity, which runs almshouses for older people, and sits on their community investment committee, which distributes grants to community groups and charities. He is a former Councillor in Southwark, where he was the opposition housing spokesman, and sat on the planning committee and the scrutiny committee. He is passionate about effective community engagement and protecting civil liberties while supporting new technological advances.
